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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26725624">Who Can Say</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperFandoms/pseuds/SuperFandoms'>SuperFandoms</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Transformers - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Punch and Counterpunch are separate people</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:54:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,053</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26725624</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperFandoms/pseuds/SuperFandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><s>Counter</s>Punch isn't ever quite sure who he is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Who Can Say</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Disguised as Counterpunch, Punch roams the halls of the Decepticon base. His heels click lightly, occasionally scraping the floor as he turns. A drip of seawater echoes through the tunnel. Counterpunch pulls up his comms, sending a quick notice to the Constructicons.</p>
<p>
  <i>::Leak in corridor G-8.::</i>
</p>
<p>A brief thanks is given in return, and Punch sighs internally, listening to the water drip. It continues for a while, then the clanging of metal-on-metal overtakes it, and Punch retreats to a different, silent passage. He's vividly aware of his pose for a moment, relaxed and comfortable.</p>
<p>Punch re-stiffens. Counterpunch rarely relaxes, it wouldn't do to be undone because he was feeling safe. He growls under his mask. It's horrible, having to either be perfectly calm or enraged. He needs an inbetween. But no such luxury and he afforded, in the middle of a war!</p>
<p>Opening his mask for a moment, Counterpunch spits on the floor, disgusted in himself. Punch closes the mask. Have to be careful, Soundwave may be on duty at the moment, but getting too complacent was a death sentence. Or a torture-then-death sentence. Maybe he should volunteer for a mission soon.</p>
<p>The bot's spinal struts made cracking noises as he stretched. Punch would have to visit either Megatron or Soundwave to volunteer. Either that, or be conscripted by virtue of being nearby when Megatron got it in his th- Or be selected for service by luck.</p>
<p>Mind made up, Counterpunch strode swiftly towards the mess hall. From there, any hints about upcoming attacks would be spilled by the overcharged or the careless. Then, he could get in on the action!</p>
<p>He arrived at the mess hall around a half-joor before mid-cycle, and could grab his cube before the crowds spilled in. Lucky for Punch, this was an off cycle for him. Really, all that meant was that he didn't have to watch radars all shift. Off cycles gave him too much time to think. He <i>wanted</i> to work, damnit! Off cycles were cycles spent not serving the cause.</p>
<p>Shoot, he'd been hovering by the door. Punch strode in and grabbed his cube, the typical half-ration afforded to all. The Autobots always, always stopped the Decepticons from taking more than a couple proper cubes, everyone was constantly starving. It hurt, and he was tired of the 'low fuel' warning. This time, he'd be there. </p>
<p>Counterpunch grinned invisibly, sequestering himself a seat between the center of the room and the closest wall. He split his mask, slowly sipping it. Punch had to keep reason to stay in the room, but not drinking at all until anybot else walked in would be equally suspect.</p>
<p>Slowly, one by one and then two by two, bots fell into the mess hall, grabbing their rations and exchanging secretly distilled high-grade. Not many bots sat close to Counterpunch, but he was used to it. He <i>was</i> one of the most vicious Decepticons in the army, after all.</p>
<p>Punch listened closely, nursing his energon. There were offhand snippets about another power raid from the Combaticons, but a particularly careless comment from Skywarp, brazenly proclaimed, gave him pause. Apparently, Megatron was going to create his own power plant, to supplement existing supply.</p>
<p>Two breems later, Punch finished his drink, standing up and walking to his quarters. This was promising! Megatron was likely to enact the plan within the next local orbital cycle or so, and word spread quickly when a project needed supplies. When the time came, Counterpunch would be ready to bash in the helms of some Autobots.</p>
<p>Punch nearly tripped over his own pedes, but kept a steady pace. He would have to ignore that thought. Any dwelling over a brief moment in-character could be suspicious. He briefly cursed the Decepticon base for feeling more like home than the Ark. It was just so easy to become Counterpunch.</p>
<p>The Autobot shivered inside his kibble. Onwards to his quarters. Turn left, walk forward 23 steps, take a right... And there. Home sweet home, as the fleshlings liked to say.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>As predicted, roughly five solar cycles passed when Megatron called for the presence of all available Decepticons. Counterpunch arrived, and shoved his way towards the front of the group. Megatron's optics glinted.</p>
<p>His plans for the solar cycle were to acquire a number of girder beams and available electrical circuitry. Starscream loudly objected, stating the need for a guard. Megatron merely turned his gaze on the coward to make him shrink back.</p>
<p>Soundwave said something about Starscream's comment being logical, and Megatron waved his hand, telling Soundwave to pick the participants. Counterpunch grinned under his mask. Finally, a chance to beat those no-good idiotic softsparks into the dirt. Soundwave turned one inscrutable face against another.</p>
<p>Counterpunch's body language conveyed his interest, and he was selected, alongside Blitzwing, for the girders. The Conehead triune were to guard the electronic retrieval.</p>
<p>That decided, all available and chosen activated their antigravs, boosting into the air. The journey was short, and Soundwave travelled with them, much to the Constructicons' dismay, having hoped to acquire raw material unwatched. They made their grievances known, and Counterpunch sneered under his mask. They didn't <i>have</i> to act miserable, even if they were. That was the Air Commander's job.</p>
<p>The group landed without a hassle, and the guards, along with Soundwave's mini-cassettes, spread out in a circle. Blitzwing was first to call an alarm, and though Buzzsaw remained circling, the guards rushed to hold off the attack of six.</p>
<p>Cliffjumper was there, and seemed to have a special vendetta against Counterpunch. He couldn't figure out why, did he just hate Counterpunch that much? To single him out in fights to the death? Ok. He'll play.</p>
<p>The minibot goes flying across the field, dents in his chest plating. Counterpunch turns to fight Prowl. A hiss escapes the Decepticon, then another as Prowl lands a solid hit, but the cop car felt so many more.</p>
<p>Before anyone knew it, Buzzsaw shrieked, signalling completion. Soundwave called for a 'retreat', and Counterpunch grinned again. So much for those Auto-creeps defending this planet!</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Punch holed up in his quarters, steaming from the washracks. That was too long. That was too much. He needed to pass this info on. He needed some time in home, home proper. </p>
<p>The <s>Decepticon</s> Autobot breathed heavily. He'd make it home.</p>
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